Everything You Need to Know About Buying the Best Home Generator

Everything You Need to Know About Buying the Best Home Generator

Power outages are more than just an inconvenience; they can disrupt daily life, compromise safety, lead to costly damage, and even cause health risks. From keeping essential medical equipment running to protecting your home from basement flooding or food spoilage, a reliable home generator offers peace of mind and critical backup power when the grid goes dark. But with various types, sizes, and features available, choosing the best home generator for your needs can feel overwhelming.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know to make an informed decision and ensure you’re prepared for the next blackout.

Why Buy a Home Generator?

The primary reason is protection and continuity during power outages. This includes:

1. Protecting Essentials: Keeping lights on, refrigerator/freezer running (saving food), and furnaces or air conditioners operational for comfort.
2. Safety and Security: Maintaining security systems, lights to prevent accidents, and communication devices (phones, internet).
3. Preventing Damage: Running sump pumps to prevent basement flooding or maintaining critical systems.
4. Supporting Health: Powering essential medical equipment like oxygen concentrators or CPAP machines.
5. Comfort and Convenience: Allowing you to continue working, entertaining, or simply living comfortably without interruption.

Types of Home Generators

The first major decision is choosing between the two main types:

1. Portable Generators:

   • How They Work: These are typically gasoline-powered engines that produce electricity. They are moved manually and require setup (bringing out, fueling, starting, connecting cords).
   • Pros: Generally less expensive than standby units, portable (can be used elsewhere like job sites or camping), relatively easy to use initially.
   • Cons: Require manual startup during an outage, must be operated outdoors away from windows and doors due to carbon monoxide risk, require refueling, can be noisy, and often provide less power than standby units.
   • Best For: Backup for essential circuits only, occasional outages, budget-conscious buyers, or those needing power in various locations.

2. Standby Generators:

   • How They Work: Permanently installed outside your home, similar to an air conditioning unit. Connected directly to your home’s electrical panel via an automatic transfer switch. They run on natural gas or propane.
   • Pros: Automatic operation (turn on within seconds of an outage, turn off when power returns), fuel source often linked directly to utility (natural gas) or stored (large propane tank), generally quieter than portable units, provide more power (often enough for the whole house), increase home value, safer as they are permanently installed and don’t require extension cords running into the house.
   • Cons: Significant upfront cost (unit + professional installation), require permits and professional setup, are fixed in place.
   • Best For: Frequent or long-duration outages, backup for the entire home or critical systems, those prioritizing convenience and automatic operation, areas with natural gas lines.

Key Considerations When Buying

Once you know the type you prefer, dive into the specifics:

1. Sizing (Wattage): This is perhaps the most critical step. You need a generator that can handle the load of the appliances and systems you want to power.

   • Running Watts vs. Starting Watts: Appliances with motors (refrigerators, pumps, HVAC systems) require a brief surge of power (starting watts) to start up, which is significantly higher than the power needed to run continuously (running watts). Your generator must have enough starting watts to handle the highest surge and enough running watts for the combined load of everything running simultaneously.
   • How to Estimate:

     • Essential Circuits: List all the "must-have" items (fridge, freezer, lights, furnace fan, sump pump, essential medical equipment). Find their running watts and the highest starting watts needed. Add up the running watts and ensure the generator’s starting watts meet or exceed the highest starting watt requirement on your list.
     • Comfort Circuits: Add items like TVs, computers, window AC units, microwave.
     • Whole House: This typically requires a large standby unit.

   • Wattage Tools: Many generator manufacturers offer online sizing calculators. Consulting with an electrician or generator professional is highly recommended for standby units. Over-sizing is generally better than under-sizing, but significantly over-sizing wastes money.

2. Fuel Type:

   • Gasoline: Most common for portable generators. Readily available, but goes stale (requires stabilizer or rotation), and storage in large quantities can be a safety hazard.
   • Propane: Used by many portable and standby generators. Has a long shelf life, burns cleaner than gasoline, and can be stored in larger tanks (though tanks need refilling).
   • Natural Gas: Exclusive to many standby generators. Provides an unlimited fuel supply (as long as the utility line is active) and is very convenient. Requires a connection to your home’s natural gas line.
   • Diesel: More common for very large or commercial generators. Fuel doesn’t degrade as quickly as gasoline but can gel in cold temperatures and requires specialized storage. More fuel-efficient than gasoline/propane for high loads.
   • Dual Fuel: Some portable generators can run on either gasoline or propane, offering flexibility.

3. Transfer Switch:

   • What it is: A transfer switch is a critical component that safely connects the generator to your home’s electrical system. It isolates your home from the utility grid, preventing "backfeeding" – sending power back onto utility lines, which is extremely dangerous for utility workers and can damage equipment. It’s required by the National Electrical Code (NEC) for connecting a generator directly to your home’s wiring.
   • Manual Transfer Switch: You manually switch power source from utility to generator (and back) using a switch or circuit breaker panel. Used with portable generators. Requires you to be home to operate.
   • Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS): Used with standby generators. Detects a power outage and automatically starts the generator, switches the power source, and reverses the process when utility power returns. Hands-free operation.

4. Installation:

   • Portable: Requires finding a safe outdoor location (at least 15-20 feet from doors/windows), leveling the ground, connecting cords (potentially to a transfer switch inlet box).
   • Standby: Requires professional installation. This involves site selection, preparing a base (gravel or concrete pad), running fuel lines (natural gas or propane), installing electrical connections, and integrating the transfer switch with your home’s panel. Permits are almost always required.

5. Features and Technology:

   • Electric Start: Much easier than pull-starting, especially on larger units. Requires a battery.
   • Inverter Technology: Produces cleaner, more stable power (low Total Harmonic Distortion – THD) which is safer for sensitive electronics like computers and TVs. Often quieter and more fuel-efficient as they can adjust engine speed to load. More expensive.
   • Noise Level: Generators are loud. Noise is measured in decibels (dB). Portable generators typically range from 60 dB to 80 dB or higher. Standby units are often quieter, ranging from 50 dB to 65 dB at a specific distance (usually 23 feet). Check local noise ordinances.
   • Outlets: Ensure the generator has the types and quantity of outlets you need (standard 120V, 240V, twist-lock for high-power connections).
   • Safety Features: Low oil shutoff, overload protection, fuel gauges, carbon monoxide sensors (on some models).

6. Budget:

   • Portable: Can range from a few hundred dollars for small units to $1,000 – $5,000+ for larger, feature-rich or inverter models.
   • Standby: Unit costs typically range from $3,000 to $10,000+. Installation costs can easily add another $3,000 to $8,000+ depending on complexity (distance from fuel source/panel, site prep, electrical work).

7. Maintenance: Generators require regular maintenance (oil changes, filter replacements, battery checks for electric start). Standby generators often have recommended professional service schedules.

Choosing the "Best" Generator for You

The "best" generator isn’t a specific model; it’s the one that best meets your individual needs based on:

• Your Power Needs: How much power (wattage) do you really need? Just essentials, comfort, or the whole house?
• Outage Frequency & Duration: Are outages rare and short, or frequent and potentially long? (Standby is better for frequent/long outages).
• Budget: What is your total budget including potential installation costs?
• Convenience Preference: Do you want manual setup, or automatic, hands-free operation?
• Fuel Availability: Do you have a natural gas line? Space for a large propane tank? Easy access to gasoline?
• Noise Sensitivity: How important is quiet operation?

FAQs

• How much does a home generator cost? Portable generators range from $400 to $5,000+. Standby generators cost $3,000 – $10,000+ for the unit, plus $3,000 – $8,000+ for professional installation.
• How do I know what size generator I need? List the appliances you want to power, find their running and starting watts, and sum the running watts. Ensure the generator’s surge watts can handle the highest starting watt appliance. Use online calculators or consult a professional.
• Can I install a generator myself? Small portable generators just need to be placed safely and plugged in (possibly to a transfer switch inlet). Standby generators and connecting any generator directly to your home’s electrical panel (via a transfer switch) requires professional installation and permits due to safety and code requirements.
• How long can a generator run? Portable generators typically run for 8-12 hours on a tank of fuel at half load, requiring refueling. Standby generators can run for days or weeks if connected to a continuous fuel source like natural gas, or until a propane tank runs dry.
• What’s the difference between running watts and starting watts? Running watts are the continuous power needed. Starting watts are the brief, higher surge needed for motor-driven appliances to start. The generator must meet both requirements.
• Is a transfer switch necessary? Yes, if you plan to connect the generator directly to your home’s electrical panel to power hardwired appliances like furnaces or ceiling lights. It’s a critical safety device required by code to prevent dangerous backfeeding.

Conclusion

Investing in a home generator is an investment in security, comfort, and peace of mind. By understanding the different types, correctly sizing your needs, considering fuel options, and prioritizing safe installation with a transfer switch, you can confidently choose the best home generator to keep your lights on and your life running smoothly when the power goes out. Don’t wait for the next storm; start planning for reliable backup power today.